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You never hear about racism in mono-ethnic societies like China or Japan. Why? Everyone enjoys a similar background of values and cultural cohesion.

In America, with hundreds of different ethnic groups, especially black, white, brown, red and yellow, we exist in a tenuous but tolerant dance guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

It’s not been easy with Jim Crow Laws, the KKK, Watts Riots, separate but equal, anger of Malcolm X, white flight to the suburbs, smoldering and seething ghettoes and Pastor Jeremiah Wright in Chicago with “God D*** America….”

In 1965, Senator Teddy Kennedy created an even more tense society by immigrating millions from incompatible cultures that now call America home: Muslims, Hmongs, Koreans, Somalians, Ethiopians, etc. Additionally, he created even greater racial tension from competing and growing cultures that fail to assimilate into America as Americans.

We now designate Muslim-Americans, African-Americans, Russian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, while our national identity drains into confusion and tension.

You never hear about racism in mono-ethnic societies like China or Japan. Why? Everyone enjoys a similar background of values and cultural cohesion.I don't know about China but I lived in Japan for seven years and that was before the present immigration explosion. There was discrimination on a high level but it had to do with class in some cases and definite racist feelings toward the Okinawans and a lot toward half breed Japanese. China I have no idea.

In America, with hundreds of different ethnic groups, especially black, white, brown, red and yellow, we exist in a tenuous but tolerant dance guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

It’s not been easy with Jim Crow Laws, the KKK, Watts Riots, separate but equal, anger of Malcolm X, white flight to the suburbs, smoldering and seething ghettoes and Pastor Jeremiah Wright in Chicago with “God D*** America….”

In 1965, Senator Teddy Kennedy created an even more tense society by immigrating millions from incompatible cultures that now call America home: Muslims, Hmongs, Koreans, Somalians, Ethiopians, etc. Additionally, he created even greater racial tension from competing and growing cultures that fail to assimilate into America as Americans.And Kennedy did this all on his own at age 32 as a freshman. I don't like any of the Kennedys at all but I have a hard time believing that Ted Kennedy was responsible for all that. Do you have some evidence. And i am not being facitious. I am really asking. Seems had to believe.

We now designate Muslim-Americans, African-Americans, Russian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, while our national identity drains into confusion and tension.

We now designate Muslim-Americans, African-Americans, Russian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, while our national identity drains into confusion and tension.

Who started putting those labels on Americans? If an american is just an American then why weren't african americans treated like all the other americans during the civil rights era? Why weren't the japanese Americans treated like other Americans instead of being put in camps during the war?

In 1965, Senator Teddy Kennedy created an even more tense society by immigrating millions from incompatible cultures that now call America home: Muslims, Hmongs, Koreans, Somalians, Ethiopians, etc. Additionally, he created even greater racial tension from competing and growing cultures that fail to assimilate into America as Americans.

So.. by incompatible cultures, he means immigrants who are not Christian, European or white.

So.. by incompatible cultures, he means immigrants who are not Christian, European or white.

I agree, I didn't like those parts of the article either.
Culture is a great thing, and adds spice to our greater American culture as long as it does not come into conflict with our laws, and as long as people understand the difference between celebrating their ethnic backgrounds vs an allegiance to their country of origin. In other words, it is great to eat kim chee and celebrate lunar new year as long as you identify yourself primarily as a US citizen. Not so great if you identify yourself as a loyal South Korean who happens to reside in the US and hold US citizenship.

I haven't been to Brazil in 30 years, but when I was there, it wasn't perfect. Certainly it was highly multiracial..yet there was a rather rigid 'social order', and the 'lower orders' were noticeably darker than the 'uppers'. Also Brazil as I recall it had quite an uneven distribution of races, geographically. The Northeast shoulder was very heavily black....while the southern end was quite heavily white. The Japanese weren't distrbuted evenly, either. Some areas had LOTS..others had very few.

Brazil may be 'ahead of the curve' in multiracial living...yet it does have different forms of prejudice, of exclusion, and of unevenly-applied 'perks' in its society. I wouldn't exactly say some of the Indians in the interior are getting a 'fair shake'.

But it's a neat place, and I'd go back in a minute if I could.

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